Tourist information: Como Lake

Historical Outline: Como Lake and outside

The name of Como inspires many sensations: it is not only the starting paragraph of Italy's most famous novel, Alessandro Manzoni's The Betrothed ("that branch of the Lake of Como..."), but also precious silks, produced here to be sold in boutiques throughout the world, and finally the sparkle of electricity, discovered by an illustrious Como citizen, Alessandro Volta. Each of these sensations can be the approach into discovering Como.
If you walk around the city centre, you see evidence of all the city's history: beginning with the Museo Archeologico Giovio, which illustrates prehistoric and Roman Como, and continuing with the medieval Porta Torre, its turrets built by RedBeard after the destruction of Como by the Milanese, together with the rest of the medieval city. Garibaldi's statue, in the square before Porta Torre, reminds us that in 1859 the city was forever freed from Austrian dominion.

Visit Como Lake

To move closer to the present, it is worth following a very pleasant lake promenade onto the neighbourhood of Borgovico, where Como notables commissioned splendid holiday homes in the 19th century.
Villa Musa, in art deco style, Villa Carminati, an elegant example of neoclassicism, Villa Saporiti, with precious period furnishings, and then still Villa Gallia, Villa Parravicino, Villa Canepa, Villa Mondolfo and Villa Olmo, famous for its secular trees which decorate the large surrounding park, reflect a rich and thriving city, which centuries ago was already pervaded by refined elegance.
Still in town, it is worth seeing Tempio Voltiano, in neo-classic style: built in 1927 for the centenary of Volta's death, it collects a number of instruments built by the great scientist to conduct his experiments on gas and electricity.
Once you have visited the city, you can turn your attention to the Lake it rests on, by all means one of Italy's most beautiful, also for its y shape.
Of Ice Age origin, it is the third largest Italian lake after Garda and Verbano, as well as Europe's deepest. Surrounded by mountains, with a single little island, Isola Comacina, in the Como branch, the Lake is most certainly worth a ferry tour.

Events

The events for the area of Como are many and varied; little markets, exhibits, food festivals but also a lot of cinema and theatre. Among the most interesting happenings there's the short film contest "Como tu mi vedi" as well as the programme of the Teatro Sociale, which also offers events tied into the world of the youngest. Among summer events two of the most notable are Comoestate, with musical, theatre and general entertainment events, and Como Acquafestival, with mostly sporting events.